The ePublisher team works to raise poetry to a more visible and influential position in the European culture. Guided by this aim, every month, we select one poet from each partner country to feature as our Poet of the Month. In this section we try to get behind the scenes of the poetry to introduce our international audience to the well known poets from Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Finland, and to discuss inspirations and influences with the authors.

Maria Duszka, our Poet of the Month for February from Poland, talks to us about herself …

Vytautas Stankus (b. 8 of November, 1984), poet and translator, lives in Vilnius. Vytautas has studied English Philology at the Lithuanian Pedagogical University. He began publishing poems in the literary press in 2007. His first poetry collection, "Walking on the Other Side of Ice" ("Vaikščiojimas kita ledo puse"), 2009 won the Zigmas Gaidamavičius-Gėlė Prize for the best poetry debut. Literature critics suggest Vytautas as one of the most emergent Lithuanian poets. His second poetry book "Iš veidrodžio, už" (From the Mirror, Behind) was published in 2014. The book is chosen by competent Commission to Five best poetry books of 2014 in Book of the Year Campaign. In February 2015 Vytautas' book "From the Mirror, Behind" became a poetry book of the year 2014 in Lithuania. His new book of poetry „Skruzdžių skandinimas“ (The Drowning of the Ants) came out in December, 2016.

She is a Polish poet, essayist and translator (among others, of Alice Munro’s The View from Castle Rock, Thomas Merton’s Raids on the Unspeakable, and Ewa Lipska’s selection of poetry The New Century), author of seven poetry volumes and a book of short stories, a recipient of prestigious literary awards in Poland (including Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński Literary Prize and Krakow’s Book of the Month Prize for her collection of poems Trzy ołówki). In 2004 she was granted the second prize in the literary contest judged by Wisława Szymborska. Together with Robin Davidson she translated a selection of Ewa Lipska’s poetry entitled The New Century, published in the USA in 2009.

Was born in exile in Barnaul (Russia) in 1960. Since 1962 lives in Vilnius. He graduated from Vilnius University, Faculty of Mathematics in 1983. In 1990-2000 he worked as a research fellow at the Institute of Culture and Art; in 1994-2002 was a director of international programs at The Lithuanian Writers Union (LWU) as well as a director of international poetry festival “Spring of Poetry”. From 1994 till 2008 he was a board member at LWU, since 1999 a member of Lithuanian PEN Club and from 1998 till 2002 – a board member at Baltic Writers‘ Council. From 2003 till 2015 – a chief editor of “Vilnius” magazine, which is also published in English (“Vilnius Review”) and Russian.

João Pedro Mésseder was born in OPorto in 1957. Signing with his first name (José António Gomes) he is a professor of higher education, researcher and critic with several studies published on contemporary Portuguese literature and writing for childhood and youth.

She was bornon December 6th, 1970 inKrakow.She graduated from theCzech Studies at the Jagiellonian University.

She made her debutin 1993 in"LiteraryDecade,"publishedin thejournals"cross-section", "Party","Study"(translations-poetryandprose),"Krakow".A scholarof the City ofKra-tionalin 1998.Herlyrics aresungat the cabaret "Piwnica".

Violeta Palčinskaitė is a famous Lithuanian poetess, playwright, screenwriter, translator and children's literature classic. More than a single generation grew up reading her poetry and were deeply affected by her plays. Even those who are not interested in poetry, know her verses because they heard them as songs and quatrains which have become nearly folklore.

Armas Hiiri is a poet, translator and philologist. He was born on 15 February 1935 in a village district of the Leningrad area, in so-called Ingermanland. By nationality he is ingermanland Finn. He currently lives in Finland in Turku.

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